Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Emma's Dragon by M. Verant Series: Jane Austen Fantasy #2
on March 26, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 475
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon
Emma Woodhouse needs a dragon. Her life depends on it. But Emma’s dragon is claimed… by Elizabeth Darcy.
When Emma Woodhouse meets newly wed Elizabeth, a brush of their gloved hands unmasks the Darcys’ fantastic secret. Emma has discovered Yuánchi, the deadly dragon coveted by both Emperor Napoleon and England’s Secretary of War.
Luckily, secrets are nothing new for Emma. She has her own: a deathbed promise, and a clever plan to achieve it. The Darcys’ power, forbidden to her, might even help.
But clever plans can go astray. As treason stalks a royal ball, an avenging queen rises to ravage England. Survival rests on a fabled alliance: Emma and her secrets, Elizabeth and her dragon, and the magical music of Mary Bennet and Georgiana Darcy.
Will Emma, Elizabeth, and Mary unravel the mystery of the great wyves in time to save England and themselves?
A gritty Gaslamp fantasy adventure set in Jane Austen’s England introduces new players, a darker plot, and, of course, more fiery dragon action. M Verant’s colorful worldbuilding, nuanced characters, and suspenseful plot made for another enthralling read right to the very last tantalizing page.
Emma’s Dragon is the second installment in a read in order series.
While the first book, Miss Bennet’s Dragon, stuck closer to the original Pride & Prejudice storyline, Emma’s Dragon introduces an Emma Woodhouse much like the original, but the few other Emma characters are little like their original counterparts. Not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind.
Emma’s Dragon divides the focus between three main lead women characters- Emma Woodhouse, the newest on the scene, Elizabeth Bennet Darcy, and Mary Bennet.
Emma Woodhouse is a vastly different character from Elizabeth Darcy and her sister, Mary. Both the Bennet sisters are forces of nature in their own way. Elizabeth has a powerful connection with draca and is paired along with her husband to a dragon because she is a great wyve. Emma is also a great wyve, they learn quickly, like Darcy’s sister Georgiana who has an affinity for song magic, but Emma’s great wyve dragon magic takes a bit to tease out. She exudes confidence on the outside while trembles with fear and insecurity on the inside. I found her both likeable and insufferable in turn. The insufferable part was her determination to ‘fix’ Harriet and her life (just like my reaction to the original for doing the same thing) and pretend that the racial bigotry Harriet and Mr. Knighley, also of African descent, is not important as simply marrying well to attain social standing. Her strength of heart is also tested in the final scenes when the conflict rising through the book finally explodes with danger and tragedy for our intrepid band of good people and their draca.
I focused on Emma in this review, but there are strong story threads that follow the Darcy family and Mary Bennet, too. A lot of moving parts in this book that were never rushed nor confusing, but paced out well. This is a middle book so it finishes off some of the plot threads and leaves others there to pull readers forward into the next book which I think will be the grand finale.
All in all, the plot is in a dark, desperate place right now and I liked how the story got there. This is Gaslamp fantasy at its best and I can heartily recommend it to Austen lovers, dragon fantasy fans, or those who like an exciting historical with fantasy elements.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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Being paired to a dragon sounds like something that is sure to make some exciting moments throughout this story. Glad to hear how good this turned out to be, Sophia. Great review! 🙂
Yes, I’m a bit envious of these fictional gals who get their own dragon partner. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Lashaan!
Oh my. This sounds amazing. I’m not an Austin aficionado , but I love the idea of this series.
I think even non-Austen readers can really get immersed into the world of this series- especially this book which isn’t all that connected to any Austen novels. 🙂
These sound really interesting — I will have to check them out! If you liked this, you might like Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis. (Or have you read it already?)
I haven’t read that one, but I think I’d like it. 🙂
I liked the sound of this series after reading your review of the first book. Glad the second one was a hit too!
Yes, these are definitely building to something big. I can’t wait to read the third book. 🙂
Jane Austen retellings with dragons? I’m in! This series looks like a lot of fun. 😀
Have you read Scales and Sensibility? It has a similar magical slant and is a cute read.
I’ve got your rec on my future reads list. 🙂 Glad I could point you to this one, Lark!
Wonderful review Sophia..this retelling is so unique!
Yes, I thought it was a fun blend of fantasy and Austen, too.
I don’t know why I thought I commented on this one. That sounds good. I think I would like this for the dragons.
LOL, your memory is about as good as mine, then.
Oh yes, this is definitely a dragon lover’s story. 🙂
Dragon! Such a cool kickass cover
Isn’t it great, Carole? Just perfect for the story, too.
What a lovely review Sophia! You definitely have me intrigued. I really like the mix of fantasy with a Austenesque feel to it!
Thanks, Renee! Oh yes, that combo was not to be missed. 🙂
What an interesting type of “retelling” even as you say it isn’t really that close to the actual story. Sounds like it could be a fun read though!
It sure was a good story and worth the light connections to the original classic. 🙂